The social organizational life of people may be
explained in terms of social groups, aggregates,
categories, etc. The organic life of society is cemented
or glued together by forces of social interaction and
relationship. The nature and dynamic of social
interaction in our everyday lives are discussed. Key
symbolic interactionist concepts and perspectives such
dramaturgy, stereotypes in everyday interaction,
ethnomethodology and the social construction of reality
are also discussed.
Social status locates individuals and groups in the social
structure, of which some locations are defined by birth
and others are obtained by choice, efforts and
competitions. Statuses are associated with roles, which
may be ideal or actual. There are usually tensions and
clashes between ideal and actual roles. When such
tensions take place within one role it is intra-role conflict
or role strain, and when it occurs between the different
roles of a person, it is inter-role conflict.